Filmmaking

How do I record on my camcorder So, you’ve got your camcorder and now you need to make a recording. Well, it’s probably easier than you think. Almost every camcorder out there has a record button, it’s usually red. Really you just tap it when you want to start recording and you tap it when...
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How does a camcorder work You know, a camcorder’s a very sophisticated piece of electronics, but essentially, you’ve got an image that has to pass through glass, just like any image even from our still days. Now the difference is the CCD. If you have a film camera, you’ve always put the image on to...
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What is the “zoom” function on my camcorder Every camcorder out there has some sort of a zoom–from the old days when they were no more than maybe three or six power up to these days where they can be 20, 25 even 35 power zooms. What you would do that for, you want to...
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What is video editing So what is editing and what’s it all about? Well, in the early days of film, you used to shoot film and then take it somewhere and cut it, physically cut it, and then tape it back together in the order that you wanted to tell the story. So maybe you...
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What camcorder do I need if I’m just starting out If you’re just getting into this, if you’re really a beginner video artist at recording, you need to look at what you want do with the camcorder; how far you want to go. Is this camcorder just something you’re going to take it out on...
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What kind of sound quality can I expect from my camcorder Probably pretty good sound quality, but what you need to ask is where the manufacturer placed the microphone. is it faced forward? is it faced up? Some of these smaller cameras have microphones mounted in some of the strangest places. So, look for where...
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What does a “head-cleaning tape” do and how do I use it One of the things you want to consider buying to keep in your camera case is a head cleaning tape. These are little tapes the same size as the cassette if your shooting in a mini DV environment or even a HDV environment...
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What is a “tripod”, and why would I want one for my camcorder One of the most common accessories you would ever buy whether it’s for a camcorder or a still is a called a tripod. It’s something that holds the camera stable on three legs. That’s where the term tripod comes from. In the...
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What is the difference between “Standard Definition” and “High Definition” If you haven’t purchased a camcorder for a while, you’re going to find that there’s another new format of camcorder in town called high definition. So you’ve got to decide whether or not you want to shoot in standard definition or high definition. Let’s talk...
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How do types of camcorders differ There’s a lot of terms out there that you’re going to read about when you’re looking a magazines that talk about camcorders. Some of those terms are professional camera, consumer camera, or the newest term which is called prosumer, which is kind of a combination of professional use and...
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